1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a vector brush for drawing on and cutting a foil material.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
A cutting device for foils is already known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,205, whereby letters, characters or the like can be cut from a two-ply foil in order to produce signs, and masks for painting and spray painting, lettering, etc. For this purpose the known cutting device has a housing with two cheeks disposed at a distance from each other, between which the foil sheet is guided by tractors. A carriage that supports the cutting tool is mounted on guide rods extending between the cheeks. The carriage is moved perpendicularly across the sheet in a Y-direction. The motion of the foil sheet in the X-direction is effected by the tractors, which can move the sheet in a controlled manner not only forward, but also backward.
A similar cutting device is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,525, where the cutting device can also be replaced by a writing tool. With this known device, the carriage is also controlled electronically by a control device. With this known device, however, it is only possible either to cut or draw.
In addition to ink writing instruments and drawing pens, a so-called air brush is already known as a drawing instrument, wherein a fine cone of atomized ink can be applied to a substrate in a metered manner. The supply of ink is effected through a central conduit in which a needle is seated that enlarges or reduces the cross-section of the emission opening, thereby regulating the flow of ink. The emission opening is surrounded by an air conduit, through which compressed air is supplied at a pressure of approximately 0.5 to 2.5 bar. The compressed air aspirates the ink from the emission opening and forms a fine atomizing cone. The diameter of the atomizing cone sprayed onto a substrate is a function of the distance of the emission opening above the substrate. The ink atomizing cone is adjusted over a relatively wide range by means of a suitable selection of this distance from the substrate, and by an adjustment of the needle in the emission opening.
A disadvantage of such known air brushes is that, up to now, such brushes could not be computer-controlled.
A disadvantage of such known cutting devices is that they can only either cut or draw. Air brushes were not used in the drawing industry up to now, because the required ink and air connections could not easily be installed in the carriages of a writing tool, as would be conventional with an ink writing instrument.